


To Save Sam Winchester

by justalittlelemony



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, God I hate him, M/M, Will Not Be Completed, a lot more people but i'm not tagging them all, but that's it, couldn't remember zachariah's name for a hot second, have fun reading my trash, i didn't put the description of violence tag bc i never even got to that point, i have the beginning and end finished, it's literally just a hunger games au, most of them are only mentioned anyway, not finished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 23:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17497742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justalittlelemony/pseuds/justalittlelemony
Summary: UNFINISHEDDO NOT READ IF YOU WANT A FULL FICDean Winchester lived by two rules: keep Sam safe and survive.Unfortunately, the Hunger Games makes that impossible.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> so  
> like, i don't even know how long ago, i started writing this spn hunger games au and it was gonna be really great and epic and romantic and all that  
> and then i just never finished it  
> whoops  
> anyway, it was doing nothing in my drive so i figured i'd just post what i have  
> good news is, i had a fairly detailed outline that i will post to take up the "middle" section of the fic, so you'll get an idea of what this fic was supposed to be  
> i also had a sequel planned, but i never got past the idea stage for that one  
> well, here goes

Dean was alone.

It was dark when he had woken up. The sun hadn't even started to rise. Now, as he sat on the top of the hill watching the first rays of the morning, he was happy he had gotten up early. The rest of the day wouldn't be this peaceful. Reaping Day never was.

Once the sun had nearly risen halfway, Dean got up. The square would soon be crawling with demons. Usually, they left people alone, but they were sticklers for the rules on Reaping Day. He had no doubt that this year's reaping would be no different than the other eighteen he'd seen. He trudged through the forest, not caring as to whether or not he left tracks. Patrol demons never went past the fence. He made it to the bottom of the hill before turning to the old hollow tree. The tree itself was nothing special, looking about the same as every other tree in the area. It did have one defining feature on the outside that distinguished it. A small heart with four letters carved into it.

JW+MC.

Dean smiled as he remembered his mother taking him there the first time. He had barely been able to walk, so his mother, Mary, had carried him most of the way to the tree. His chubby toddler fingers had pointed at the heart, and he had babbled out a question.

"That's what we did on our first date, baby. John Winchester and Mary Campbell."

He pushed the net made of shrubbery to the side, revealing a hole into the inside of the hollow tree. It was filled to the brim with weapons of all kinds. Guns, machetes, holy water, salt, flare guns. John had spent years collecting weapons to better his hunting arsenal. As Dean placed his handgun into its proper place, he couldn't help but wonder why his father had stopped. He hadn't hunted in months, and when Sam mentioned going out of the district, John had told him to not say stuff like that. Something had John scared, and it killed Dean not to know what. He shoved the covering over the opening and began to make his way to the fence.

The fence had to be at least fifteen feet tall. It was made of solid brick, so it took a lot of strength to destroy it. But what really kept things out were the symbols and wards painted onto the bricks. There was something to keep out every creature imaginable and, in some cases, to keep them in. Luckily, humans didn't work that way. He walked over to the southwest corner of District 12 where a small hole was carved into the wall. Mary had made it when she was younger and had shown John it when they were first dating. The dense forest on both sides made the area the perfect place to sneak in and out. He crawled through the hole and stood up, dusting himself off. When he was younger, he could walk through the opening without even touching the exposed brick. But Dean had grown a little since then, so it wasn't quite as easy.

He began to make his way to the square, which was bound to be busy. The market would be opening soon and there were always at least a few people who watched each district's reaping on the big screen in the square. Dean didn't understand it. What kind of sick people would willingly watch children literally walk up to their death?

As expected, the square was already set up for the general viewing of the reapings. The District 1 reaping was currently being played on the screen, but Dean turned away. The District 1 reapings were the worst. The entire district was filled with demons, and they always volunteered. It had been years since anyone other than a demon had won the games. 

He instead made his way over to the market, which was currently being set up. If Dean were anyone else, he wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the market before it opened. But him and Sam, and at one time, John, were the best hunters in the district, providing most of the meat in the area. Sam had said something about running out of soap yesterday. It was a good thing Dean had money on him. He ambled over to where Missouri's stand usually was and was happy to see he was right. Missouri's face lit up with a smile as Dean came into her line of sight.

"Dean! How ya been?" She pulled him into a hug as she spoke. Dean couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she hugged him, and replied,

"Good, I'm fine, Missouri. You?"

"I'm doin' about as good as I can." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you're not just here to see me, are you?"

"Sorry. Sammy says we're out of soap." She walked back around her table, pulling out a bag.

"Well, it's a good thing I sell soap."

A bar of soap in his bag and his pocket marginally lighter, Dean strode out of the market just as it opened to the rest of the townsfolk. The District 1 reaping was almost over, and he could hear the people watching mutter angrily.

"Two Princes of Hell? These games are gonna be awful." Part of him wanted to go back and ask who they were, the Princes, but he knew it was useless. The only Prince of Hell he cared about came from District 10.

After walking for a few minutes, he finally reached their house. The sun was now barely above the treeline, casting light onto the dreary district. He turned the knob on the shabby wooden door and entered the house. As expected, Sam was sitting on the couch watching the live reapings. The commentators were discussing the District 1 tributes. Dean recognized one of them as Uriel, the angelic host of the games. Sam turned his head towards the door but looked back at the screen as soon as he saw that it was Dean. 

"Thought Dad was gonna wake up before you got back. You took longer than usual." Dean sat the bag down on the table. 

"I got a little distracted. Besides, I'm not that late, what time is it?"

"Almost seven."

"Nevermind then. Hey, think fast!" He threw the bar of soap at the fifteen-year-old. Sam stood up and caught it easily. He looked at his brother incredulously.

"You remembered?" Dean snorted.

"Gimme some credit, Sam. I'm not completely useless." Sam shrugged and sat back down on the couch. The screen had begun to show the District 2 reaping. Dean grimaced as he sat down next to his brother.

"Turn that shit off." His brother clicked the remote, stopping the television. "When's the reaping again?" Sam rolled his eyes.

"It's at 2:15, but we gotta be there at 1:45 for the 'special presentation'," Dean grunted in response. "Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"How many times is your name in there?" The eighteen-year-old stopped short, unsure of how to answer his younger brother's question. 

"Uh, I dunno. Thirty-two, I think." He winced at his brother's expression.

"Dammit, Dean! You should've let me take some tesserae!"

"Hell no. Five slips are enough." Sam opened his mouth to argue, but closed it a few seconds later, noticing the pointlessness of it. The two sat in silence for a few moments.

"Can I turn the TV back on?"

"No."

Sam turned the TV on. Dean glared at his brother, who gave a smug grin in response.

"Why the fuck do you wanna watch this shit?"

"I don't want to. There's nothing else on since it's supposed to be mandatory viewing."

"Sam's right." Both Sam and Dean went rigid at the sound of the voice but relaxed as soon as they realized it was their father. "Everyone's supposed to watch the reapings." The boys turned to look at John. He was holding two suits. Their reaping outfits. 

"Time to get ready."

 

* * *

 

Dean messed with the tie around his collar once again. One of the worst parts of the reaping, in his opinion, was that, not only did they have to listen to propaganda from Satan, but they also had to wear nice clothes. Just by looking at the kids around him, he could tell he wasn't the only one who hated it.

Most of the children in the district were already put into their groups. Dean stood amidst the other eighteen-year-olds. A few rows ahead of him, he could see Sam standing with the fifteen-year-olds. At the front of the square, near the eleven-year-olds, was a stage. The reaping itself hadn't started yet, so the stage was mostly barren. The only thing, other than a few microphones, sitting on the platform was a table with a large bowl on it. The bowl was see-through, hundreds of white slips peeking out of it. Thirty-seven of them belonged to the Winchesters. Five for Sam, thirty-two for Dean. He didn't have the most, but he certainly didn't have the least. 

Dean didn't bother looking behind him. He could feel John's gaze fixed on him, watching his every move. Sam seemed unaffected by John, so Dean assumed that John couldn't see him. His younger brother was tense enough at the reaping. Their father would only increase Sam's anxiety. Even so, Dean was having difficulty controlling his fear. He would be lying if he said that the idea of his name being called out didn't scare him. But he rarely thought about that. What scared him more was the chilling sound of Sam's name being called out, his brother slowly walking up to the platform. Both scenarios had been played out in his nightmares in the weeks leading up to this moment.

The hunter was pulled out of his thoughts by the tapping on a microphone. He recognized the man standing behind it as Crowley, District 12's demon escort. The cameras surrounding the square, which previously sat there motionless, were now moving, lenses trained on the demon. The reaping had begun.

"Happy Hunger Games," Crowley droned, obviously bored with the entire affair. There was a joke in the district that Crowley hated the games more than the tributes. The idea wasn't too far-fetched. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Now for a special presentation from Hell." The cameras positioned themselves so that they faced the large screen. An image of a man standing amidst flames appeared, the same image that Dean had seen for the past eight years. The narrator's voice boomed out of the speakers.

"War, terrible war. That was what plagued the Earth at the hands of heaven. Centuries ago, Lucifer defeated his brother, Michael, ending the Apocalypse. Although Lucifer was victorious, the battle between Heaven and Hell was not over." A group of people appeared on the screen. "Raphael and the armies of Heaven, along with the remains of the Men of Letters, began a rebellion to overthrow our glorious leader. Their violent and misguided actions led to much loss of life and resources. Lucifer vanquished Raphael, cast the powerless angels to the districts, and sent his trusted knight to dispose of the Men of Letters. The revolt was quelled. As punishment for the unruly angels, he created the Hunger Games, an annual competition in which twenty-four angels, two from each district, would be sent to fight to the death, leaving one, sole victor. Since then, the games have evolved into something much more important. Two tributes from each district, regardless of species, gender, and physical condition, are sent to compete to remind us of the sacrifices given in the Angelic Revolts so that such a tragedy never happens again. Remember this, on this Reaping Day, as your district selects their representatives in this proud tradition." The screen faded into black.

"So, time to pick tributes." Crowley strode over to the bowl. He shoved his hand in, feeling around for a slip, and brought his hand up, a small white paper in between his fingers. His voice was clear, carrying throughout the silent square.

"Dean Winchester."

Crowley's voice echoed around in his head, repeating his name over and over. He vaguely registered the eyes of everyone in the district staring at him as he made his way out of the eighteen-year-old section and up the stairs to the stage, where Crowley stood. He only cared about the hazel eyes staring at him from the fifteen-year-old section. The eyes that belonged to the freakishly tall boy with the long, unruly hair. Sam. It took Dean a moment, but he found his baby brother in the vast crowd. Sam's face seemed to be a reflection of what Dean was feeling: pure terror. The fifteen-year-old looked like he was about to cry. Dean tried to look past Sam and found himself looking into the eyes of his father. 

John had never been one to show emotion. Dean could barely remember a time when his father was anything other than the stern, battle-ridden man who taught him how to hunt. The face John was making at the moment was full of emotion. Fear, anger, and pain all clashing together. Dean had seen that expression before. It had been years ago, the situation unnervingly similar. John had held a crying Sam, a toddler Dean gripping his other hand tightly. Mary had stood amongst the other twenty-one-year-olds, her last year in the reaping. Crowley had read a similar name off of a similar paper, causing John to break.

Mary Winchester.

"Do we have any volunteers?" Sam looked hesitant, but Dean could see the quiet resolve in his eyes. No. There was no way Sam was going to volunteer. John himself would never admit it, but Sam was his favorite. Losing both Sam and Mary would completely destroy him. Sam needed to stay in District 12. His thoughts must have translated onto his face because Sam put his head down and stayed in the crowd. Dean breathed a sigh of relief as Crowley spoke. "No? All right, the second tribute for District 12 is..." He dipped his hand into the bowl once again, tugging another slip out. Crowley opened the paper and panic spread through Dean as he read the words written on the pristine surface.

"Samuel Winchester." 

John's face was absolute horror now. His father's face had to be less painful than Sam's. Dean couldn't imagine the expression of utter dread currently gracing his brother's face. Luckily, Dean didn't have to gaze at his brother as he walked up the stairs and stood next to Dean. Crowley didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. That, or he didn't care.

"I present the tributes for District 12, Samuel Winchester and Dean Winchester. Shake hands, boys." The brothers turned to each other and shook hands, neither looking at the other. They knew it was pointless. Dean barely registered the demons pushing both him and Sam into city hall, separating them into different rooms. The door slamming pulled him out of his trance. Confusedly, he looked around at his surroundings, completely taking in the last few minute's events. He sat down in a chair, face in his hands.

No, Reaping Day was never peaceful.

And it never would be.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to Hell.

Almost thirty minutes passed before Dean got his first visitor. Thirty minutes of pure torture. All he could think about was Sam. If Dean was the only one being sent to Hell, he would be fine. It would probably break Sam, but he would get over it. John would move on, and eventually, Sam would too. But it wasn't just Dean. Sam would be accompanying the hunter to Hell, and ultimately, into the arena, where they would be forced to fight to the death. For as long as Dean could remember, there had been two rules driving his life: protect Sammy and survive. It was impossible to have both now.

His thoughts were interrupted by his father entering the room. John's face was grim, but his voice remained stern as he spoke.

"I just talked to Sam." Dean nodded in response. He knew that the both of them getting reaped wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but feel guilty, as if he should've done something to prevent it. If John thought that it was Dean's fault, he didn't show it.

"How is he?" He couldn't meet his father's eyes. He didn't want to relive that day fifteen years ago, the only day he had seen his father cry.

"A little shaken up, but he'll be fine. He's strong."

"Yeah," he muttered softly. An awkward silence fell between the two. It ended when John cleared his throat.

"Sam, uh, he wanted you to have this." He held out the necklace Sam had given Dean for Christmas one year. Usually, he wore it all the time, but John didn't let him for the reaping. John chuckled. "Damn kid made me run home to get it to ya. Said you'd need a token for the games." Dean took the amulet hesitantly.

"He bringin' a 'token'?"

"Don't think so." Dean scoffed.

"'Course not. Dumbass." John shuffled his feet stiffly.

"Dean, I, uh, I know this is gonna sound wrong, but, uh-" He looked down at his son. "-if it's you or Sam, you make sure it's Sam that comes back on that train." Dean gulped before answering.

"I will." He meant it. Even without his father's encouragement, he had already made his decision. Dean Winchester would not be coming back to District 12. Not if it meant saving Sam.

"Take care of yourself." And with a small pat on the shoulder, John was gone. Dean didn't have time to reflect on the briefness of his father's goodbye because as soon as John left, another visitor walked in. Dean found himself pulled into the familiar embrace of Missouri Moseley.

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you boy!" She pulled away. "Not that I don't think you can't win. If there's anyone in this godforsaken hellhole that can win the games, it's you and Sam. I know you too well. You're gonna make sure that your brother is the one on that train." Dean held his hands up, a playful smile gracing his face.

"Guilty as charged." He looked towards the door. "You'll take care of Dad, right? Until Sam gets back?" He didn't even mention the idea that neither Sam or Dean could come back. She seemed to read between the lines and nodded knowingly.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Thanks, Missouri." She rolled her eyes and smiled again.

"Oh, come here you!" He let himself be pulled into yet another hug. She let go and patted him on the face before walking towards the door. "You have fun in Hell, now. Eat somethin' fancy for me!"

 

* * *

 

About a half an hour after Missouri left, demons came to escort Dean to the train station. He was pulled out of the room and stood next to Sam as they walked. Sam seemed to have calmed down since the reaping, having an hour on his hands. Dean guaranteed that beneath his baby brother's collected facade, the fifteen-year-old was freaking out. Sam had become very good at hiding his true emotions, but that didn't mean Dean couldn't read him like a book. He didn't say anything, knowing that Sam was fully aware of his emotions. The demons accompanied the boys through the district into the train station. A crowd of people had gathered in the station, a small divider clearing the way for the brothers. He craned his neck to get a glimpse of the people in the crowd, but the demons ushered him and Sam into the train. Within seconds, the vehicle was pulling away from the station, away from the only place the two had ever known. He could see faces outside, but in a flash, they were gone.

Dean retreated from the window and sat down in a chair, Sam next to him. They sat in silence for what seemed like forever. Sam opened his mouth to speak, but a voice from behind him beat him to it.

"Hello, boys." Both of their heads whipped around to see who had spoken. Crowley was sitting at a table, sipping an alcoholic drink of some variety. He looked up from a paper that he was reading. "Your mentor should be here in a minute." Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean, who shrugged in response. He couldn't answer his brother's question.

Mentors were people who had won past games for the district. They were supposed to teach the tributes the best way to survive in the games. The only issue was that he was pretty sure all of District 12's victors were dead. It was a fairly small district, so everyone mostly knew everyone. He couldn't think of a single, living victor in the district. His thoughts were disrupted by a man stumbling into the car disjointedly, a man that Dean hadn't seen in years. Sam's small gasp confirmed it.

"Bobby?" Bobby looked over in the boy's direction as soon as he heard Sam's voice.

"Sam and Dean Winchester. What the hell are you two doing here?" Dean chuckled.

"We got reaped, Bobby."

"Your daddy still banning you from huntin'?" Sam's eyes widened, and he spoke in a low voice.

"Shouldn't we, I dunno, not talk about that in front of him?" He gestured to the demon. Dean scoffed.

"Who, Crowley? Dude, he doesn't care."

"Damn right," was the demon's response, not even looking up from his paper.

"See? And yeah, Dad 'banned' us, but that doesn't mean we haven't been hunting." Bobby leaned back in his seat.

"Good. You guys have a half chance of surviving." Sam squinted in confusion.

"Is that... good?" Bobby shrugged.

"Better than most of the kids out there." He grabbed a remote, turning on a television that Dean didn't notice. He threw the remote at Sam, who caught it. Bobby stood up. "I'm assumin' you didn't watch the reapings, so study up. And actually listen to the commentary. They talk about the tributes." He then promptly walked away, grabbing a beer as he did. Sam shrugged and hit play.

The District 1 reapings were about the same as they were every year. Some poor kid would get chosen, then a demon would volunteer. The only difference was that this year, the demons that volunteered first were Dagon and Ramiel, two Princes of Hell. Demons didn't have an age range when it came to the games, so they could volunteer over and over again. Both Dagon and Ramiel had participated and won multiple games.

District 2's reaping was very similar. But instead of two Princes volunteering, Abaddon and Cain, two Knights of Hell did. All Dean could think was how hard it was going to be to kill two Princes and two Knights.

The first human tributes didn't come until District 3. They ended up being twelve-year-old Charlene Bradbury and eleven-year-old Kevin Tran. Dean couldn't help but feel angry as he watched little Kevin and Charlie walk up to the stage, terror evident in their eyes. They wouldn't survive the first night.

More children came from District 4. A seventeen-year-old boy named Ash and a twelve-year-old girl, Joanna Harvelle. Ash didn't seem overly concerned at being reaped. The girl, Jo, didn't seem scared, per se. When they had seen her face, both Sam and Dean had spoken.

"Hunter." Her expression was a tell-tale sign of it.

Another pair of siblings were reaped from District 5. Twins, actually. Amara and Charles Shurley. Chuck, as he liked to be called, wasn't actually reaped. He volunteered for a little eleven-year-old, a girl named Becky Rosen. Neither of the two looked particularly powerful, but it wasn't a good idea to underestimate them either. That Amara chick looked like she could kill with a single look.

Angels, the reason for the games, weren't reaped until District 6. Gadreel and Samandriel. Gadreel seemed to have made peace with his fate, but Samandriel, whose vessel couldn't have been more than twelve, look absolutely terrified. Dean couldn't blame him. The kid looked to be seventy pounds soaking wet.

A vampire, Benjamin Lafitte, and a werewolf, fourteen-year-old Garth Fitzgerald IV, were reaped from District 7. The entire district was filled with monsters. Few angels, humans, and demons lived there.

Another two angels came from District 8. Balthazar and a girl named Anna Milton. Dean thought Anna was a human at first until the commentators identified her as an angel. Her fiery red hair reminded him of the little girl from District 3, Charlie. She looked about the same age as the little girl too.

The District 9 reaping brought another demon and an angel. The demon, Ruby, looked to be about a year older than Sam. The angel, Hannah, seemed to be a few years older than Dean. Not that it mattered. Both of them were much older than both of the brothers, probably having lived for centuries.

Dean didn't really feel any anger at anything other than the games when watching the reapings. That was, until the District 10 reaping. It seemed like a pretty typical reaping, starting with a demon, Meg Masters, volunteering for some kid. It wasn't until another kid was reaped and another demon volunteered that Dean really paid attention. The way the demon held himself, swaggering up to the platform, a malicious smile on his face, Dean had seen it before, years ago, on television, late at night.

The boy had wanted a glass of water but found his father watching TV. At the time, it confused Dean. John had stayed away from the screens all week and hadn't let Sam or Dean watch anything. What was he watching?

He had hidden at the edge of the hall, out of his father's sight but still able to see the television. It was his mom, Mary, on the screen. She had been gone for a little over a week. She had seemed scared, running away from something, someone. A burst of flames had appeared from behind her, and Mary screamed. Dean had watched in horror as his mother was engulfed in flames, on live television. John didn't seem to make a noise at his wife's demise, but once her screaming had died out and a cannon had rung out, Dean had heard his father's soft sobbing. He would never forget the demon who killed her, brandishing a flamethrower from the cornucopia, circling what was left of her body, the same evil smirk plastered on his face. Even if Dean did forget that, it was hard not to remember the sickening yellow of the demon's eyes.

Azazel.

His eyes hadn't changed. The same cruelty was behind them as he strode up to the stage, joining the other demon. Dean didn't notice his fists clenching or that his glaring seemed to set the screen on fire.

Sam turned the TV off after that and told Dean to get some rest. They'd arrive in Hell in the morning.

Dean grumpily made his way down the train. He wasn't exactly upset about not getting to see the rest of the reapings. District 11 was the only one left, and no one impressive ever came out of there. The tributes from that district were usually gone after the initial bloodbath. He couldn't pinpoint exactly why he was heated. Maybe it was the idea of Azazel, the reason for both his and Sam's entire lives going to shit, in an enclosed space with Sam. Dean wasn't really concerned about himself. He would fight that son of a bitch with everything he had. But the idea of Azazel not only taking Mary from him, but Sam too, was unbearable.

It wasn't until he reached the end of the train that he realized that he had no idea where he was supposed to stay. The room that he was in was a lounge of some sort, allowing one to look at the passing landscape as they traveled. Shrugging, Dean laid down on one of the couches. He had slept in worse places.

 

* * *

 

 

It was dark when Dean awoke. Whether it was a habit or the constant rocking of the train that woke him, he didn't know. He had never slept as well as he did that night. Back in District 12, on the small, stiff bed that he shared with Sam, it would take him hours to fall asleep, and he would just end up waking up four hours later anyway to go hunting. But on the comfortable sofa, he had nodded off in mere minutes. Feeling as well rested as he had ever been, he made his way back to the car they had been on the previous day.

He was surprised to find the large dining table covered in foods of all sorts. Crowley, Bobby, and Sam were already seated. Crowley was sipping at another, different drink, while Bobby surrounded himself with beer bottles. Sam was the only one eating, a small salad on his plate.  Dean took a seat and glanced at his brother's plate.

"Really, Sammy? More food than you've seen in your entire life, and you-" He pointed at the dish. "-make a salad?" Sam shrugged.

"We need to be healthy for the games. And besides-" He looked down, almost ashamed. "-I like salad." Dean rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Okay, weirdo. I'm gonna have me some pie," he said, leaning over to scoop a large slice onto his plate. Crowley looked up, disinterested.

"Really, Squirrel? Pie for breakfast?"

"Fuck off, Crowley." The demon put a hand on his heart in mock offense before taking another sip of his drink. Dean took a big bite of pie and smiled.

Pie was officially his favorite food.

The windows in the cabin suddenly went dark. Sam jumped and Dean looked around, confused. But Bobby and Crowley didn't react, continuing to drink their alcohol. Crowley noticed the boy's reactions.

"Calm yourselves. It's just the tunnel." Sam looked at his brother.

"Tunnel?" Bobby answered,

"Yep. Welcome to Hell."

At that moment, the train reached the end of the tunnel, revealing a shining city. Hell. Their school books certainly weren't lying when it came to the beauty of the city. If anything, they didn't properly explain how alluring it actually was. Dean felt awful for thinking that anything made by Lucifer was pleasing, but it was difficult to not notice the elegance of the city. As the train pulled into the station, he could see hordes of demons trying to catch a glimpse of them. Once the train had stopped completely, Crowley stood up.

"C'mon, boys. Time to get ready for the opening ceremonies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry for my shitty writing  
> if you couldn't tell, this was not edited and was just copied and pasted from my google docs


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean makes some friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoooo boy ok  
> i am, from the bottom of my heart, so sorry that you have to read this next chapter  
> this was my first time attempting to write romance and it shows  
> it's so bad and cheesy but luckily this is farthest i got with the romance  
> it sounded so much better in the sypnosis, i promise

It turned out that 'preparing for the opening ceremonies' mean ridding Dean's entire body of hair.

After arriving in Hell, he had been separated from Sam and sent to a room so that his style crew could 'prep' him. Three demons had come in and stripped him down. They then proceeded to rip every single hair off of his body, except on the top of his head. Back in District 12, he had shaved what little facial hair he could grow every once in a while. The only good that came from the entire ordeal was that he received the best shave he had ever seen.

After his style crew had finished with him, his stylist came in. The demon said her name, but Dean wasn't paying attention. He was too pissed that he was going to have to wear the god-awful mining outfits that District 12's tributes had worn for the past twenty-five years. Begrudgingly, he put it on and was led outside, where the chariots were. Angry as he was, he couldn't help but burst out laughing when he laid eyes on his brother. The oversized overalls and tunic were still too small for Sam, the gigantic moose that he was. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's immaturity and climbed onto the chariot. Bobby materialized a few seconds later.

"Sam, get your ass off that chariot, the ceremony don't start for a few minutes, and you two are at the back of the pack. And mingle, make friends. Lord knows you need them." Sam looked almost offended. Bobby began to walk away. Dean called after him.

"Where are you going?" Bobby turned around.

"I'm gonna try 'n find Rufus. That son of a bitch's gotta be around here somewhere." He moved towards the front of the area, where the other mentors stood. Sam gave a slight shrug to his brother before going off to find some 'friends'. Dean stood next to the chariot awkwardly. He couldn't see where Sam had gone. A slight giggle brought him out of thought. His head whipped around to the source of the noise, only to see a boy about his age playing with the horses attached to the chariot in front of theirs. With a sigh, he made his way over to the boy, heeding Bobby's advice. He didn't recognize the boy from the reapings, so he must be one of the District 11 tributes. He was about an inch shorter than Dean, and as he approached the boy, Dean noticed that the boy wasn't playing with the horses. He was stealing the sugar cubes and eating them himself. Dean cleared his throat.

"Sugar cubes any good?" The boy whirled around violently at the sound of Dean's voice, his face bearing a deer-in-the-headlights expression. Once he saw it was Dean, he relaxed.

"Not bad," he said, wiping his mouth. "If you like pure sugar, that is." He tossed one over to Dean. The hunter caught the cube and put it in his mouth. The boy wasn't wrong. The treat was almost sickeningly sweet. The boy watched Dean tentatively before reaching his hand out. "Gabriel, District 11." After a moment of hesitation, Dean took it.

"Dean, District 12." Gabriel nodded before popping another sugar cube in his mouth.

"I thought you were Cassie for a second. All I've done since we got on the train was eat candy. All he's done is whine about my dietary decisions." A shit-eating grin crossed his face. "Brothers, huh?" Apparently, the other tribute from District 11 was named Cassie and was Gabriel's brother. He'd have to ask Sam about it later. Dean guaranteed that after he had left the room last night, Sam had continued watching the reapings. He probably knew everything about Gabriel and Cassie.

A warning alarm sounded, and the tributes began towards their chariots. Gabriel gave a small salute to Dean as he climbed onto his chariot. Dean walked off and stood next to Sam, who was all ready to go.

"Make any friends?" Sam asked.

"Kinda. You?"

"Yeah. That Samandriel kid, from District 6? Apparently, he goes by 'Alfie'."

"How the fuck do you get 'Alfie' outta 'Samandriel'?" Sam merely shrugged in response. In front of them, a dark-haired boy had mounted the chariot and stood next to Gabriel. Dean assumed it was Cassie, the other tribute.

Before he could ask Sam about Gabriel and Cassie, the ceremony began. They watched on a convenient television screen as the District 1 chariot took off, District 2 close behind. Within a few moments, Gabriel and Cassie's chariot began to move, and Sam and Dean's followed.

In the eighteen games Dean had watched, he never really paid attention to the opening ceremonies. Even if he had, he couldn't have fathomed how big the road was, or how many demons were watching. The stands were filled to the brim with demons, black-eyes and grins. Dean would have stared, dumbfounded, all day if Sam hadn't hit him on the shoulder.

"Wave, dumbass." He looked down at his hands, which were clutching the chariot with a death-grip. Hesitantly, he took his left hand off of the cart and slowly waved it. He could see demons in the stand pointing and jeering at him. A look back towards Sam showed him that the demon's on his side were cheering, as opposed to the taunting coming from Dean's side. "Smile, Dean."

The demons seemed to enjoy happy Dean. Not that he was actually happy. He was smiling at the thought of killing every single demon in the stands. In the back of his mind, he realized that was not a healthy way to bring joy to his face. But, he figured, nothing was really 'healthy' in a world ruled by Satan himself. 

The chariots reached the end of the path and turned into the massive semi-circle. It faced a large, white building. Dean could barely make out a balcony near the top. His focus was drawn to the screens on both sides of the building. They broadcasted what he assumed to be the balcony, which was occupied by the Devil himself. Lucifer. His vessel hadn't aged a bit since he first took it, almost seven hundred years ago. He donned a white suit, a single blood-red rose pinned onto his lapel. As the District 12 chariot came to a stop, he rose from his seat.

"Welcome, one and all, to the 666th Hunger Games!" The crowd roared with excitement. "And-" Dean could see a malicious glint in his eye. "-may the odds be ever in your favor."

 

* * *

 

At around one, Dean gave up on sleeping. Although the bed was the most comfortable thing he had ever laid on, he couldn't relax. He told himself it was nerves, that he was worried about training in the morning, but he knew that was only a small portion of the issue. The problem was that he was in a demon-filled city being prepped to fight to the death with children, demons, angels, and his mother's murderer.

Sleeping was not going to be an option.

At first, he had tried to find something to do in their 'apartment', as Crowley called it. Each pair of tributes shared a floor. According to the demon, the quarters were smaller than most places in Hell. Dean didn't understand how that was possible. His room alone was bigger than their entire house. It had seemed like the most amazing place in the world when he had first entered. But as he sluggishly walked around it, searching for something to occupy his mind, he found it incredibly dull.

He made his way over to the elevator, planning to see if the training room was open. But before he could press the button that would bring him to the ground floor, his attention focused on another button, one he hadn't noticed before, placed just above the twelve. A button that read 'roof'.

After pressing it, the elevator smoothly glided up, arriving at the top only seconds later. The doors softly slid open, revealing the roof of the building.

For the second time, Dean thought Hell was beautiful. The city shone from the bright lights streaming out of every window. He was so busy fixating on the splendor of Hell that he almost didn't notice the person already there. To be fair, the person didn't seem to notice Dean either. They just sat on the edge of the rooftop, taking in the city.

"Couldn't sleep?" As he approached the figure, he realized it was the District 11 tribute, Cassie. His shoulders tensed up as soon as Dean spoke and the boy turned to face him. Green eyes met blue in the light of the city.

"Never can," was Cassie's reply. He turned back to the skyline and Dean took a seat next to him on the edge. He couldn't help but feel nauseous as he looked down.

"Guess you're not afraid of heights." A small smile crossed Cassie's face.

"No. And besides, there's some sort of force-field that throws you back up. Probably to make sure we don't jump." Dean didn't ask how he knew.

"Oh." Dean leaned a little, trying to look down more. He was stopped by Cassie's hand on his chest.

"I wouldn't recommend it. It is... unpleasant," Cassie said bitterly. His expression had darkened, his smile replaced by a soft frown. 

"I'm Dean," he blurted out. He wasn't completely sure why he wanted Cassie to know his name. In a little less than a week, they would be pitted against each other.

"Castiel." Dean felt a little stupid for thinking that the guy's actual name was Cassie. For reasons unknown to him, he started talking.

"Castiel, huh? Jesus, that's a mouthful. Can I call you Cas?" Castiel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Dean didn't blame him. On a good day, he was the gruff, sarcastic big brother who didn't talk to people unless absolutely necessary. What was he doing, chatting it up with this boy he barely knows, asking if he can give him a nickname of all things?

"I suppose." Cas still looked confused, and Dean detected a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"I, um, I met your brother earlier today." Cas' eyebrows raised at this. "He seemed, uh, nice."

"Gabriel is an asshole."

"Oh." Dean didn't mind necessarily, but Cas didn't really seem like the cursing type. They sat in silence for a moment before Cas spoke up.

"You're from District 12, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. I am." Dean didn't understand why he was so nervous. "You're from District 11, right?" Cas nodded. "What's it like there?"

"It's fine, I suppose. There's a lot of work since we provide the fruits and vegetables for here." He looked up at the sky. "You can see the stars there." Dean looked up as well. Sure enough, the lights of the city made it difficult to see the stars. Cas looked disappointed at the lack of stars.

"A few years ago, I snuck out of the district. My dad was fighting with my brother again and I, I didn't wanna deal with it, so I left. I stayed there all night, just staring at 'em. The stars, I mean." He looked down, embarrassed. What was he doing, spilling his guts to a guy he barely knew?

Cas didn't seem to notice Dean's discomfort, but he also didn't ridicule the hunter, much to his surprise.

"If you lay down, you can kind of see them." Cas slid backward and laid on the concrete. Dean mimicked his movements and did the same. After adjusting for a moment, he could see them. Not quite as bright as they were that night so long ago, but still shining. He looked over to his side and saw Cas smiling.

"Thanks, Cas." Cas' eyes met his.

"Anytime, Dean."

Together, they watched the stars.

 

* * *

 

Dean wasn't sure when he fell asleep. One minute, he was gazing at the sky, and the next he was slowly opening his eyes. He supposed it was a good thing he got some sleep, but as he sat up, his back disagreed. A grimace crossed his face as he massaged his stiff back. To his right, Cas was still asleep. Dean couldn't help but give a small smile to the sleeping angel. His features were so peaceful, so calm and content. Part of Dean didn't want to wake Cas up. There wouldn't be much happiness for the next week or so, and probably for the rest of Cas' life. Dean had almost forgotten. In a little over a week, they would be forced to fight each other in the games. Eventually, Cas would have to die so that Sam could go home.

Dean pushed the thought out of his mind as he gently shook Cas awake.

"Cas? C'mon, get up." Cas slowly opened his eyes and looked at the hunter in confusion.

"Dean?" The boy sat up.

"Hey, buddy. It's morning, so we probably wanna get back to our rooms before anyone notices we're gone."

"That-" Cas rubbed his eyes. "-may be a good idea."

"Yeah. C'mon." Dean stood up, his joints still stiff. After a moment, Cas did the same. Together, they silently made their way to the elevator, the first rays of sunlight peeking out on the horizon. Without a second thought, Dean pressed the 12 and 11 buttons. They stood quietly as the elevator went down, stopping first at the District 12 apartment. Dean stepped out and after a moment of hesitation, turned around. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead closed it and gave a small wave to the boy in the elevator. Cas looked puzzled at Dean's gesture, but shyly returned it. The elevator doors shut, leaving Dean alone in the dark.

He stumbled through the main living area and into the hallway. Being careful not to disturb Sam, who was sleeping on the other side of the hall, he opened the door to his room. He climbed into his bed and closed his eyes, his mind filled with the blue-eyed angel from District 11.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, sorry


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is as far as i got  
> it kind of jumps around bc i thought that i would go back and add transitions  
> but then i didn't  
> so yeah  
> also this chapter doesn't really have an ending, it just kind of happens  
> and then it's over

Apparently, in Hell, pie was an 'every meal' dish.

Not that Dean was complaining. In fact, he was doing the exact opposite. When he had sat down at the table, the first thing he did was scoop the largest piece onto his plate, giving him a disappointed look from Sam, a raised eyebrow from Bobby, and no reaction from Crowley. He took a big bite and smiled at Sam, who had a bowl of yogurt in front of him. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother and shoveled some assorted fruits into his bowl.

"C'mon, Sammy! We're probably gonna die in a few days! Live a little!"

"I'll pass." Dean grinned and took another bite. Crowley opened his mouth.

"Get a move on boys. You don't want to be late for training." Dean swallowed before replying.

"I thought training was at ten." Bobby took another sip of beer.

"They want'cha there early, for practice." Dean glanced at the clock, which read 9:15.

"We got a few minutes." He turned back to his pie. After a minute of eating, Sam stood up.

"C'mon Dean." Dean took a few more bites before following his brother to the elevator.

"Bye Bobby!"

"Get'cher ass down there, Dean!" He hurried down the hallway. By the time he reached Sam, the elevator doors had already opened. They both stepped in and Sam pressed the button to the ground floor. The elevator buzzed to life, descending fluently. Within seconds, the doors opened once again. Dean started to make his way out but was stopped by his brother, who pointed to the floor number. Four. Sighing, Dean leaned against the wall. If the District 4 tributes called the elevator, they sure were taking their sweet time. After a few moments, a small, blonde, twelve-year-old girl walked into the elevator. She gave a small wave to Sam and Dean, then turned to the apartment.

"Ash, get your lazy ass into this elevator!" A voice replied,

"Make me, fuck face." She groaned and yelled again.

"You goddamn piece of shit!" She looked over at Sam. "Sorry. Could you please hold the elevator? He'll be here in a second." Her voice lowered. "He'd better fucking be."

A second later, a boy in his late teens made his way to the elevator. He walked in and Sam closed the door.

"Jesus, Jo, a girl like you shouldn't talk like that. Who taught you such language?" he said in mock offense.

"You did, fuck truck." The boy looked almost proud.

"Yes, I did." The names of the District 4, tributes, which had previously escaped Dean now flooded into his mind. Jo Harvelle and Ash. Jo still wore that expression of fierceness they had seen at the reaping. The four stood in the elevator awkwardly until Sam broke the silence.

"Uh, hi. I'm Sam." Jo smiled at him.

"Jo." After a moment of her glaring at him, Ash sighed and held out his hand to Dean.

"I'm Ash." Dean took his hand.

"Dean."

"Dean Winchester, right?" Jo said, curiosity evident in her voice. "Sam and Dean Winchester, sons of John Winchester?" Dean looked at his brother, only to his confusion reflected on his face.

"How did you-" She cut Sam off.

"You guys are like, hunter legends, even across the districts. My mom and I've heard so much about you and your dad. Is it true that-" She lowered her voice. "-you guys can exorcize demons?" Sam looked speechless. Dean began to stutter out an answer.

"Uh, yeah. Our, uh, our dad had it in his, erm, journal. His hunting journal, I mean." Jo stared at him for a second before mouthing out a small 'wow' of amazement. A nervous smile crossed Dean's face.

The elevator doors slid open and the four filed out. He could see a pair of open doors to the left. They walked through, entering a large room. Dean could see the different stations. Near the doors were the survival aspects, such as fire making and plant identification. On the far end was the combat area. The walls were lined with weapons of all sorts with instructors standing nearby. The room made John's arsenal seem like a box of playthings.

Most of the tributes were there already, save for Seven and Ten. Jo and Ash took their places on the far end of the line, next to the District 3 kids, while Sam and Dean stayed at the back. His gaze wandered over to his right, where the District 11 tributes were stationed. It seemed that Gabriel was trying to talk to Cas, but judging by the vacant look on Cas' face, he wasn't getting anywhere.

A tense silence filled the room. Up at the front, he could see the District 2 tributes, Abaddon and Cain, sizing up the others. Malicious smirks crossed their faces as they laid eyes on the other children.

After a few minutes, a demon walked into the room. Her black eyes surveyed the tributes and a vicious grin appeared on her face.

"Welcome to training. These next two days will prepare you for your time in the arena. There are two different areas: survival and combat. The survival area teaches you how to find food, create fire, and make a suitable shelter. Some of you-" She gave a pointed look to the demons from One and Two, then continued, "-probably want to gloss over these stations. I'm here to remind you that everyone, regardless of species, will be mortal. There is warding all around the arena, preventing both demons and angels from having any advantages, so keep that in mind. As for the combat area, the only specific rule is that you cannot, under any circumstance, harm another tribute. We want you to be at your best for the arena. You may begin."

Most people moved in an orderly fashion, walking towards the station of their desire. The demons had run straight for the weapons. He could see one throwing axes while another wielded a sword. As much as Dean would have loved to practice his combat skills, he made his way over to the fire-starting station. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to get his hands on the weapons, but doing that would mean talking with the demons, and he had no interest in allying himself with them. He figured the survival skills would be more popular with the people he could deal with, people like him. He grabbed a small kit and handed it to Sam, who had followed him to the station.

"Ever make a fire?" Sam squinted at the kit inquisitively.

"Never with this stuff." He dumped the package out. Cloth, wood, and matches tumbled out. "I mean, I know how to use a match, but I pretty much only use lighters." A small grin crossed Dean's face.

"You mean the lighters you stole?" Sam continued staring at the contents intently. A voice a few feet away rang out,

"What the fuck is a cloth gonna do to make a fire?" Dean turned his head to look at the source of the outburst. Sitting a few feet away from Sam and Dean were Cas and Gabriel. From what Dean could tell, Gabriel was the one who had yelled and was now shaking the piece of cloth in frustration. Cas glared at his brother.

"It helps to catch the spark. Please don't yell again."

"I'm sorry, Cassie, am I embarrassing you?"

"You're embarrassing yourself." Cas' eyes glanced around at the room as if he were looking to see if anyone was paying attention to them. His eyes fell on Dean's before he could turn away. Dean's head spun around quickly, turning back to Sam, who was looking at the pair with mild interest. A string of curses flew through Dean's mind. He wasn't completely sure why Cas catching him was such a big deal, but there he was, praying that he had only imagined Cas making eye contact with him. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know them?"

"Uh-"

"Hey, Dean-o!" Under any other circumstance, Dean would not have tolerated Gabriel giving him that nickname. But, considering that he would have had to answer Sam's question if Gabriel hadn't interrupted, he let it slide. He turned back to Gabriel and Cas. Gabriel was waving over at Dean while Cas looked displeased by his brother's actions. "You and Sam got any luck makin' fire?"

"Haven't tried yet. You?"

"I dunno how to use any of this shit, other than matches, of course." He held up the box. "I may be a dumbass, but I'm not stupid." Sam cleared his throat.

"Maybe we can work together to make a fire?" His voice was hesitant. "I mean, if you want to." Gabriel looked at Sam strangely before saying,

"Eh, what the hell? Sure." He scooped up the kit and gestured to Cas. "C'mon Cassie! You gotta be social!" Cas scowled at his brother before reluctantly following him over to the Winchesters. He sat to the left of Gabriel, across from Dean. His eyes flicked up towards the hunter momentarily. Sam looked towards Gabriel, oblivious to the tension between Cas and Dean.

"Hi, I'm Sam, by the way."

"My name's Gabriel." He pulled Cas into a hug. "This is Castiel, my little brother." Gabriel looked towards Dean. "Y'know. Cassie."

Oh.

Gabriel didn't know.

He didn't know about the roof.

Of course, Gabriel didn't know about this morning. He was a self-proclaimed 'dumbass' and Cas had shown disdain for his brother earlier. It made sense. Dean, who would trust his brother with his life, didn't even tell Sam. To be fair, that was more of an 'it-never-came-up' decision rather than an 'I-don't-want-you-to-know-about-this'.

Cas managed to pull himself away from Gabriel, who gave a look of mock offense. Cas turned to Sam.

"But-" His eyes traveled from Sam to Dean and back to Sam. "-you can call me Cas." Sam nodded and looked back at Dean. His expression said it all. Introduce yourself.

"Uh, Dean. I'm Dean," he said quickly. Cas gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

"Okie dokie, now how the fuck do you make a fire?"

 

* * *

 

Gabriel was not as much as a dumbass as he seemed.

Once Sam had explained the purpose of each of the material, Gabriel had understood immediately and was actually able to make a decent fire.

 

* * *

 

"We should probably, uh, meet people, ya know?" Dean almost face-palmed at how pathetic he sounded. What was it about Cas that made him so awkward?

"There are some people over by the tree-climbing station. Maybe we could start there?" Cas questioned.

"Yeah, um, good idea. Let's go there," Dean stuttered out in response. If Cas found it strange, he didn't say anything and began walking over to the station. Dean mentally slapped himself before following Cas.

The tree-climbing station consisted of three plastic 'trees' that were far away enough to be separate, but close enough to jump from one to the other. Three kids were already at the station. On the first tree, the little-redheaded girl from District 3 was hanging upside-down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, now that that's out of the way,,,  
> the next chapter is going to be my outline that i made for the fic  
> i'll include the beginning parts that you've already read, just for clarity because i know that there were parts of those past few chapters that make absolutely no sense  
> i will not include the ending outline because i actually have that part written out  
> no joke, i had much more fun writing that stupid outline instead of the fic itself, so


	5. Sypnosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sypnosis time!!  
> so this is where the bulk of the plot is and i outlined day by day what happens in the games  
> i'm sorry that this is really all you'll get of the hunger games portion of the au, but i don't have any interest in continuing this fic for real

On the day of the reaping, both Dean and Sam Winchester are reaped to participate in the 666th Hunger Games. Dean is told by his father, John, that Sam should be the one to come back to District 12, not Dean. On the way to Hell, they are joined by Crowley, a crossroads demon who worked as the District 12 representative, and Bobby, a hunter who was now their mentor for the games. Once they arrive in Hell and are prepared for the opening ceremonies, Dean meets a tribute from District 11, an angel by the name of Gabriel, and later that night, meets Castiel, Gabriel's younger brother.

On the first day of training, Sam and Dean meet Jo and Ash on the elevator. Jo explains that Sam, Dean, and John are hunting legends. When they get down to the gym, the Seven and Ten tributes have not come down. A demon explains the rules and they are set loose. Sam follows Dean over to the fire-starting station, where Cas and Gabriel are. They split up into groups of two, Sam and Gabe, Cas and Dean, in order to meet more people. They meet Charlie, Anna, and Kevin at the tree-climbing station. During lunch, Sam and Dean discuss making an alliance with Cas and Gabe but are interrupted by the District 10 tributes coming down. Dean gets his first look at Azazel. After lunch, Dean sees Cas struggling to shoot a gun and helps him. That night, Dean brings a blanket and a pillow up and sees that Cas did the same. He falls asleep earlier but is plagued by nightmares of his mother's death and of Azazel killing Sam as well. Cas asks him what his nightmare was about, but Dean doesn't tell him. Cas promises to watch over him.

The next day, Dean heads for the edible plant and insect station where Cas is. He asks him if he would be interested in an alliance with him and Sam, to which Cas replies that he would, but isn't certain as to whether or not Gabriel would be. Cas goes to the lances, where Gabe is, to discuss it. Dean busies himself with the ropes course until lunch, where Gabriel and Cas agree to an alliance. Cas practices shooting once again, explaining that although he is good at hand-to-hand combat, he doesn't have a skill to show the game makers. Sam catches Dean sneaking out that night, forcing him to stay in the apartment, much to his dismay.

When the time comes for Dean's evaluation, he shows the demons and the head game maker, Naomi, his shooting skills and ability to survive in harsh climates. When he realizes the demons don't care, he recites an exorcism, leaving Naomi the only one in the room. He worries that he will get in trouble for the stunt, but Bobby quells his fear, saying that they would have to reveal what happened in the evaluation and that either way, they would have to get John. Dean returns to the roof that night and excitedly tells Cas about his evaluation. Cas, although happy for Dean, explains that he didn't do as well and that they weren't paying attention. Dean receives an 11, Sam a 9, Gabe a 5, and Cas a 3.  
  
The next two days are reserved for preparation for the interview. Bobby works with Dean while Crowley works with Sam. Dean resists Bobby's efforts to teach him, saying that he will 'wing it'. He also makes Bobby promise to save Sam, not him. Bobby agrees. Dean and Cas don't talk much on the roof the first night, and Bobby forces Dean to stay in his room the second.  
  
The night before the games, both Cas and Gabe are treated poorly by the host of the games, an angel named Uriel, and the audience. When Uriel treats him kinder than Cas and Gabe, Dean speaks against the games, shocking all of Hell. He is also asked about his score, to which he replies, "I can show you what I did, but the audience ain't gonna like it." Sam backs his brother up, albeit not as angrily as Dean. Dean meets up with Cas on the roof once again, only to find the angel asleep. He watches Cas sleep, a mirror of their second meeting, when Dean had nightmares and Cas offered to 'watch over him'. 

 

* * *

  
Much to Dean's surprise, there is only one casualty during the initial bloodbath. He had grabbed a backpack, which has a small canteen of water, a small package of dried meat, and a machete. As he makes his way through the forest, he is attacked by a District 9 tribute, Hannah. He is saved by Castiel, who stabs Hannah with an angel blade. Keeping to their earlier agreement, they become allies.   
District 4, Ash  
District 9, Hannah  
Day 1, 22 tributes

 

* * *

  
  
Cas and Dean's day is mostly uneventful. They are startled by a cannon around noon. Dean teaches Cas how to hunt, and a small rabbit is their reward. The District 8 tribute, an angel called Balthazar, finds the two and offers to team up with them. Although hesitant, they agree. Balthazar seems to know Cas, but Cas doesn't know anything about him.  
District 9, Ruby  
Day 2, 21 tributes

 

* * *

  
  
The three are awoken early in the morning with the sounding of two cannons. They pack up early and continue on their way. After refilling their water at a small pond in the afternoon, Cas goes to find a spot to stay the night. Balthazar and Dean are approached by the District 7 tribute, a vampire, Benny Lafitte. Benny threatens the two, but apologizes, saying that he 'needs to feed', but wishes he didn't have to kill in the games. Cas sneaks up behind him and attempts to kill Benny with an angel blade, but Benny senses him and tries to drown him in the pond. Dean jumps on top of Benny, but he throws him into their backpacks. Two cannons sound off, distracting Benny, Balthazar, and Dean. Balthazar is able to take Benny's focus off of Cas by shooting at him, but Benny rips his throat out, killing him. Dean decapitates Benny and revives Cas. Cas sleeps through the night.  
District 4, Joanna Harvelle  
District 6, Samandriel  
District 7, Benjamin Lafitte  
District 8, Balthazar  
District 8, Anna Milton  
District 10, Meg Masters  
Day 3, 15 tributes

 

* * *

  
Dean doesn't awake Cas to switch shifts, and when he wakes up, he is angry at Dean for not getting any rest. Dean agrees to take a nap while Cas goes set traps for animals. Dean is startled awake by a cannon a little after noon. When he sees that Cas isn't back, he panics and begins to look for his friend. He finds Cas, alive, unharmed, and slightly confused. Dean pulls him into a hug, surprising Cas. Later, when they are eating a squirrel that Cas caught, Dean asks if Cas was upset about Balthazar's death since he knew him from his days of being an angel. Cas explains that unlike most angels, both he and Gabriel don't remember anything past eighteen years ago when they arrived in District 11. A cannon booms, which prompts Dean to put out the fire and Cas offers to take the first watch.  
District 3, Kevin Tran  
District 7, Garth Fitzgerald IV  
Day 4, 13 tributes

 

* * *

  
Cas and Dean find a river and decide to travel along the edge. While they are walking, the District 3 tribute, Charlie Bradbury, runs out from the other side and into the river. Behind her, the District 2 tribute, Abaddon, a Knight of Hell, chases her into the river. Dean and Cas hide in the treeline and wait for Charlie and Abaddon to pass. Charlie runs through the two trees and Abaddon follows. Cas holds Abaddon down from behind while Dean stabs her with the angel blade. Charlie joins Cas and Dean. She explains that she had been on the run for almost two days. She had been in an alliance with Jo and Anna, but on Day 3, they had been attacked by Abaddon, Azazel, and Meg Masters. Meg is a demon from District 10. Azazel is a Prince of Hell from District 10. He had killed Dean and Sam's mother, Mary, in the 651st Hunger Games. Charlie tells them that Abaddon killed Jo by shooting her while they were sleeping. Charlie and Anna had tried to run, but Anna tripped and Azazel caught her on fire using a flamethrower which he had picked up in the cornucopia, which was the same weapon he used to kill Mary. While Charlie sleeps, Dean explains to Cas what happened to his mother, and urges Cas to sleep. Cas asks him to wake him up around midnight.  
District 2, Abaddon  
Day 5, 12 tributes

 

* * *

  
Cas wakes Dean up around 3 to tell him that another tribute is close by. They awaken Charlie and pack up. The tribute Cas heard, Gadreel, an angel from District 6, chases the three. Dean realizes that they can't outrun Gadreel, so he tells them to climb a tree. Gadreel, who is too heavy to climb, stations himself below Dean's tree. A few hours later, Gadreel is attacked by the District 2 tribute, Cain. Cain plants a bomb on Gadreel and runs. The bomb consumes Gadreel and weakens Charlie's tree, tossing her to the ground. Cain goes to kill Charlie, but Dean attacks him instead. Dean stabs Cain, but Cain cuts his arm. Cas helps Dean with his wound and offers to take the first watch.  
District 2, Cain  
District 6, Gadreel  
Day 6, 10 tributes

 

* * *

  
With the realization that there are only 10 tributes left, Dean, Cas, and Charlie set out to find Sam and Gabriel. They find a small waterfall and decide to play in it. Dean and Cas go to jump into the river from the top of the waterfall while Charlie watches. Cas goes first, and Dean follows. When Dean comes up, he realizes, in horror, that blood is seeping into the water. Charlie's throat had been slit by the District 5 tribute, Amara Shurley. Charlie's body washed up by the shore. They find Amara examining her body and chase after her. She outruns them and they set up camp. Cas offers to take the first watch, but Dean tells him to sleep, knowing that he will have nightmares if he tries.  
District 3, Charlene Bradbury  
Day 7, 9 tributes

 

* * *

  
Abandoning the search for Sam and Gabriel, Dean and Cas spend the day searching for the District 5 base. Cas agrees but explains that he doesn't feel like revenge is a good idea. Dean ignores his concern, his want for revenge consuming all other needs. They come up empty and Cas convinces Dean to sleep first.  
Day 8, 9 tributes

 

* * *

  
Dean awakens to find Cas gone, and worries that his friend is dead. Cas comes back a little later, looking exhausted and explains that he found the District 5 base. They set out for it. Cas tells Dean that the other tribute, Chuck Shurley, left, so Amara is the only one in there. When Dean tells Cas to sit out, he refuses. They try to sneak in, but Amara catches them. Dean kills Amara with the angel blade. They go through her and Chuck's stuff but are caught by Chuck. The district 1 tribute, Ramiel, kills Chuck with the Lance of Michael. He goes to kill Dean, but Cas pushes Dean out of the way and gets stabbed. Dean shoots at Ramiel with the Colt, which he inherited from Balthazar, but misses and Ramiel runs away. Cas explains that although the wound itself isn't fatal, the Lance of Michael poisons angels and he will probably die in a few days. Cas tells Dean to leave him behind, but Dean refuses, taking Cas to the cave behind the waterfall.   
District 5, Amara Shurley  
District 5, Charles Shurley  
Day 9, 7 tributes

 

* * *

  
In the morning, Dean and Cas are awakened by the announcement of a feast that afternoon, which promises what they need the most. Dean assumes that a cure for Cas must be there and vows to go. Cas pleads with him not to go, which only makes Dean realize how weak Cas is. He lies and says he won't go, but when Cas falls into a restless sleep, he leaves. There are 7 bags at the cornucopia, two reading 11. He waits for a moment before running after them. He grabs both and makes a beeline out. After circling around a couple of times to make sure he isn't followed, he comes back to a barely lucid Cas. His efforts were for nothing, as the bags contain some food and some sleep medicine. He pleads to Bobby to help him save Cas.  
Day 10, 7 tributes

 

* * *

  
Dean falls asleep while watching over Cas and is angered when he wakes. Cas tells him that it was alright and that the poison was making his nightmares worse, so it was better if he didn't sleep. The poison had made its way up to Cas' neck overnight. Dean goes to check the traps and finds Sam and Gabriel. After their happy reunion, Dean explains that Cas is dying. Sam tells him that they found where Dagon and Ramiel were hiding. Gabriel asks to see Cas, and Dean takes them to the cave. Cas is overjoyed to see his brother, but Gabriel is less than happy at Cas' condition. Cas convinces the three not to go until morning, hoping he will die before they can get killed for him. They reluctantly agree.  
Day 11, 7 tributes

 

* * *

  
Dean slips sleep medicine into Cas' soup, allowing the three of them to find Dagon and Ramiel. Sam tells Dean that the Colt can kill basically anything, so Dean brings it, along with the angel blade and the demon knife that Sam and Gabe had. Before they can sneak in, Dagon sees them and tells Ramiel. Ramiel pulls out the lance and attempts to kill Gabriel. Sam fights Dagon and cuts her with the angel blade. While Ramiel attacks Gabriel, Dean shoots Ramiel's hand, forcing the prince to drop the lance. Gabriel stabs Ramiel with it, killing him. Dagon runs away when her ally is killed. They return to the cave with the lance, only to find that Cas has minutes left. Dean finds a parachute from Bobby telling him to break the lance to cure Cas. He immediately does so, and the poison disappears from Cas. Gabriel helps patch Cas up by using ointment to clean up his cut. Sam says that Bobby sent it earlier to him. Dean tells him that neither he nor Cas had received any parachutes until Sam and Gabe had arrived. Cas sleeps through the night and Sam offers to take the first watch.  
District 1, Ramiel  
Day 12, 6 tributes

 

* * *

  
By morning, most of Cas' injury was gone and he could move. They leave the cave and Dean expresses concern that Dagon and Azazel might be working together. They decide to go to the cornucopia as a power play, thinking that Azazel and Dagon will get prideful and try to kill them. After waiting for a while, Cas suggests that Dagon and Azazel think that they still have the Lance of Michael, which easily killed Ramiel. They set up camp at the cornucopia.  
Day 13, 6 tributes

 

* * *

  
Gabriel awakens Sam, Dean, and Cas, saying that he thinks Dagon and Azazel are close by. As soon as the sun rises, the two come out of the forest to fight. Cas tries to attack Azazel but is thrown into a tree, rendering him unconscious. While Dean checks on Cas, Gabriel attacks Azazel and Sam attacks Dagon. Dean is pulled from his friend when Dagon throws Sam into a rock, knocking him unconscious. He tries to fight her, but she is a lot stronger than him.


	6. Chapter 6-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the first thing i wrote when creating this piece of trash that you have managed to read through was the ending  
> and because i am stupid, i divided the ending into two chapters  
> so this is really short and takes place pretty much as soon as the sypnosis cut off  
> also i can't write fight scenes, if you couldn't tell

Dagon was on top of him now. Using all of her strength, she punched him again and again. All he could feel was the sharp pain from the punches. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Azazel beating the living shit out of who he assumed to be Gabriel. Sam was still unconscious on the ground next to them. He couldn't reach his knife, a weapon, anything. He tried to push her off of him, but her grip was too strong. She punched him again, sending out another burst of white-hot pain. She raised her fist again before a gunshot rang out. He saw the bullet pass through the right side of her head. The boom of a cannon rang through the arena. Her corpse collapsed onto him, blood pouring out of the bullet hole.

Dean pushed Dagon's body off of him and turned towards his left, where the bullet had come from. Cas was holding the Colt, his face now filled with concern for his friend. The angel had a gash on his head from where Azazel had thrown him into the tree, but other than that seemed unharmed. The arm holding the Colt fell to his side as he began to walk towards Dean. He sat up.

"Yeah, I know, I don't look too good." Cas held his hand out to the hunter. Dean took it gladly and Cas pulled him to his feet. Cas sized him up, his eyes glancing over each of Dean's wounds. His eyes stopped as he looked over Dean's shoulder, widening. Dean opened his mouth to ask him what was wrong, but Cas shoved him aside. He landed on his shoulder, hard, and a dull pain sprung. He ignored it, focusing instead on Cas, who had pushed Dean out of the way of Azazel. The demon seemed to have gotten bored with Gabriel. He now held Cas up by his neck. The angel had dropped the Colt and was now trying to break free of Azazel's grip.

"Don't even think about movin' if you want him to live," the demon sneered, turning towards Dean. Cas struggled in his grasp, trying and failing to loosen Azazel's hands on his neck. Dean could see the Colt. If Azazel would look away for one second, he would have it. He could feel the demon's yellow eyes on him and resisted the urge to look towards the Colt. But if he didn't get the gun soon, Cas would die. Azazel's gaze was pulled off of Dean as Sam woke from his unconsciousness.

"Sammy, so glad you could join us." Sam's eyes widened as he looked towards Cas. "Yeah, don't do anything, 'cause I got the angel." The demon was now turned completely towards Sam, his back to Dean. He could see Cas' grip loosening, his eyes starting to go out of focus. Dean jumped towards the Colt. He clicked the safety off and shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> exposition dump for the next chapter!!  
> also grammarly really hates my notes


	7. Chapter 7-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this entire chapter is just exposition and set up for a sequel that was supposed to be like mockingjay but worse and with satan  
> thank you for getting this far in this

The bullet seemed to move in slow motion, twisting and turning towards Azazel. At the sound of the gunshot, the demon had turned around only to met with a bullet to the head. There was the boom of a cannon. As his body went limp, he dropped Cas. The almost-unconscious angel had crumpled to the ground, the demon next to him. The Colt slipped out of his hands as Dean ran towards Cas. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sam tending to Gabriel. He turned to Cas, who hadn't moved since Azazel released him. His eyes were closed, but Dean could feel his steady breathing. He gently shook his friend's shoulder. Cas' eyes opened sluggishly but were wide awake once he laid his gaze on the hunter. He sat up.

"Dean?"

"Cas, hey." Cas looked around bewildered.

"What-" His eyes landed on Azazel's corpse. "What happened?" Dean glanced over at the demon as well, the impact of his actions taking their hold. He just killed the demon who murdered his mom. He would have thought that he would have thought about it as he did it, but honestly, he had been too preoccupied with Cas to think about anything. "Dean, are you alright?" He could see Sam and Gabriel approaching, awaiting his answer.

"I'm, uh, I'm fine," he said with a fake smile. The fib seemed to fool Gabriel and Sam and their shoulders loosened. Cas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but didn't press the matter any further. Dean pulled himself up and then offered Cas a hand. Cas took it. The two turned towards Sam and Gabriel.

Gabriel looked awful. Azazel pounding on him really did a number to his face. He was covered in blood, and Dean could see bruises starting to appear throughout the tender skin. Sam was holding him up. Although under any other circumstance, Dean would make a joke at Gabriel's expense, he didn't. He had a feeling that he didn't look too much better than Gabriel. He also didn't realize that Cas was now supporting much of Dean's weight. This made him feel guilty more than anything. Cas had almost died a second ago, and now he had to keep Dean from falling over. The silence was interrupted by Gabriel, who cleared his throat.

"Hate to break up the 'celebrating', but there are still four of us." Sam looked around, a panicked expression crossing his face. Gabriel continued, "I'm assuming that we don't really wanna do that whole 'fight to the death' thing, so..." He held his hands up questioningly. Dean looked down. He wanted Sam out, he wanted Sam to win, but for that to happen, Cas and Gabriel had to die. Dean didn't really know Gabriel, and if he had to, he could kill him. But Gabriel had been with Sam since the games had started. It seemed wrong to kill him when he kept Sam safe for the past two weeks. Besides, killing Gabriel would mean dealing with Cas.

Dean knew that he couldn't kill Cas. He still remembered the terror that gripped him when he thought that the angel wasn't breathing. When Cas was dying from the poison, Dean had begged Crowley for a cure. He had snapped one of the only weapons that could kill a Prince of Hell in two when he was told it would reverse the effects of the poison. If he was just looking out for Sammy, he never would have even tried to cure Cas. He would have left him behind the moment he became a liability. But he didn't. Something between the two had changed since that first morning on the roof. Whatever it was, Dean knew it didn't really matter. No matter what was decided, he wasn't going to make it out of the arena. He wouldn't let himself do that, not to Sam, not to Gabriel, and definitely not to Cas.

It was Cas that spoke first.

"I think it should be Sam." Surprise crossed the fifteen-year-old's face. Dean expected Gabriel to put up a fight, but the older angel stayed silent, staring somberly at the ground. Sam shot each person a look of bewilderment before speaking.

"What? No, that's... that's not... this isn't happening!" Dean brought his head up and looked his brother in the eye.

"Yes, it is." 

"The only thing Gabriel and I had back at District 11 was each other. Sam, you have your father."

"So does Dean! Why can't he go back?" Dean looked up at the sky, avoiding both Cas and Sam's gazes. When he finally looked back down at Cas, he watched as the angel's eyes widened, an expression of understanding gracing his face.

"You never meant to go back." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but it was enough for Sam to hear. The boy looked up at his older brother. Dean saw a mix of fear and realization behind his baby brother's hazel eyes.

"What?" he said, his voice breaking. Dean had taken on almost every kind of monster in the world, but nothing haunted him more than the heartbreak his brother was experiencing.

Gabriel, who had been silent throughout the entire conversation, was staring at the south corner of the arena. Thankful for the distraction, Dean turned and stared at the ceiling as well. After a few moments of gazing at the sky, he saw it. The outline of a box outside of the arena, continuously getting closer and closer. Sam and Cas noticed it as well and joined their brothers in gazing intently at the ever-growing shape. Sam began to speak.

"Wha-" The boy was cut off by a large explosion as the object collided with the 'sky'. The speakers in the arena went haywire and began to make awful screeching noises. All four of them covered their ears to receive some relief from the agonizing sounds. The shape was plummeting into the arena, have broken through the outer barrier. It landed about fifty feet from Gabriel, but it was the least of their problems. As soon as the object hit the ground, the speakers became silent. Confused, Dean took his hands from his ears, his friends following suit. The light in the arena shut off almost immediately after.

Panic seized Dean as his sight, the sense that he used the most, was ripped from him in a matter of seconds. It was pitch black, not a single light source penetrating it. He tried to focus on his other senses, seeing as how he wouldn't get anywhere with sight. There was no movement he could hear, which was a good sign. That meant the game makers hadn't sicced their monsters on them yet. But there weren't any other noises, no indication that anyone else was in the arena with him. 

It was silent, almost too silent. 

"Sammy!" he called, but there was no response from his brother. He heard some shuffling to his right.

"Dean?" Cas. Dean took a few steps in the direction Cas called out from.

"Cas?" Another step. "Cas, where are you?" He felt the angel's gentle touch on his shoulder. His breathing was heavy, and Dean could feel its warmth on his neck. He asked again, "Cas?"

"I'm here Dean." Letting out a small sigh of relief, he lifted Cas' hand from his shoulder and held it. The angel's hand was rigid at first, but after a reassuring squeeze from Dean, he felt the other boy relax. Dean gently tugged him forward.

"C'mon, let's find Sam and Gabe." He took it one step at a time, being careful to not trip, Cas right behind him. Neither boy let go of the other. Dean called out once again, "Sam! Gabriel!" This time there was a reaction. 

He pulled Cas behind him as soon as he heard the crunching of leaves. He gripped the angel's hand tighter and held the protective stance.

"Sam?" he questioned cautiously. Whatever Dean had heard had stopped moving. He could only hear Cas' and his breathing. He started to stride towards the noise when he felt Cas' hand be ripped out of his own. He whipped around. He could hear struggling coming from behind him. He stumbled towards the noise, yelling as he did.

"CAS!" No answer. No noises. Nothing. He circled around, his breathing heavy. He felt hopeless, having lost both his brother and his best friend to the mystery monster that had been let loose in the arena. This had to be some sort of sick punishment by the game makers for not jumping on the opportunity to murder each other. He reasoned that, if this was a game, Sam, Cas, and Gabe were alive, or else he would've been crowned victor already. Or, at least, one of them was alive. He tried not to think of what could be happening to his friends and instead focused on trying to find them. He remembered the demon knife hidden away in his jacket. It could kill pretty much anything the demons decided to throw at him. His hand slid into the pocket, pulling the weapon out guiltily. He couldn't help but think that if he had the knife out earlier, he could've killed the thing that took Cas. Dean tentatively took a step forward, demon knife in hand. He had absolutely no idea on how he was going to find the other three but ganking the son of a bitch that took them was probably a good start. Another step.

Rapid footsteps started and seemed to come nearer and nearer. Dean twisted around, trying to figure out the direction they were coming from. He was interrupted by the thing tackling him. He had lost grip of the knife and couldn't grab it with the creature on top of him. Both of his arms were pinned over his head and what he assumed to be the thing's leg was holding his left leg down. Using all of his strength, he lifted his leg up to its chest and pushed it off. A thud came from a few feet away as it landed. Dean had gotten up and had begun to sprint in the other direction. His stumbling was cut short by the thing grabbing his ankle. He fell to the ground. A pain shot through his forehead as he hit the ground. His head was spinning. He felt it turn him over, on top of him once again. He heard the unsheathing of a knife above him and felt the cool metal on his cheek. The thing traced the knife over his face, not cutting him as if it was deciding what to do first. Dean tried to wiggle free, but the creature merely pinned his arm down in retaliation. The pain of a knife digging into his wrist tore through him. He screamed, and he heard a small chuckle in reply. He cried out again as the knife was pulled out. 

As he laid there, panting, his ears started to ring. Dean took it as proof that he had a concussion. The creature stopped moving. He could hear it turn its head as if it were trying to find the source of a sound. The ringing became louder and more intense. Dean moved his hands to his ears, trying to block out the painful noise. The thing wasn't on top of him anymore. He could kind of hear it screaming in the distance, but the ringing made it difficult. There was a sudden burst of light coming from in front of him. He tried his best to sit up. The light seemed to be coming from a person. Their eyes and mouth were open, light pouring out of them. Another person stood in front of the other. Their hand was on the other's forehead. They removed their hand, and the light the diminished. The ringing stopped.

Dean whipped his head around trying to find the light, but there was none. There was no noise, other than his breathing, Slowly, he stood up, relying heavily on what he assumed to be a rock. Whatever had created that light appeared to be gone, seeing as though he wasn't turning into pure light. 

The illusion of safety was shattered as a firm hand gripped his shoulder. His vision went white and eventually faded into darkness.

 

* * *

Dean thought he was dead. Well, he did, until he felt the pain of his body. His head ached like a bitch and he was pretty sure he had a few broken ribs. His eyes opened sluggishly. He was in a medical bay of some kind. He was on a table, a few tubes connecting him to a couple of machines. In front of him was a medicine cabinet, the door ajar. He pulled the IV out of his arm and the tubes out of his nose and rubbed his face. He was still in his clothes from the arena, but his wounds had been cared for. There was a bandage on his head and wrist and a few on his face from where Dagon had punched him. He looked over to the right, and on a table identical to his laid Gabriel.

The angel had taken on a lot more force than Dean had. Bruises and cuts littered his face. It did look much better than it did earlier. Gabriel hadn't woken up yet, but that didn't concern Dean. Gabriel probably had a pretty bad concussion, and Dean had just woken up. He could cut the guy some slack. On the other side of Gabriel was yet another table, this time without an inhabitant. Past the third table was a door. Dean walked over to it and turned the knob.

Three pairs of eyes stared at him as he opened the door. The next room seemed to be a library of some sort. The three people were seated at a table in the center. All three stood up as Dean walked into the room.

The first was a middle-aged man with white hair. His suit and balding head didn't match the crooked grin that graced his face as soon as he laid eyes on Dean. The disturbing smirk gave Dean the creeps. The next was a woman. Her light brown hair was tied up in a tight bun and she also wore a suit. Unlike the man, her face held a permanent scowl. For a moment Dean wondered if she had ever smiled. Something about her made Dean feel as though he had seen her before. The final person was Sam. Like Dean and Gabriel, he still donned his outfit from the games. Dean could see where Sam had been patched up, but other than that, his younger brother looked relatively fine. Sam strode towards Dean, a smile on his face, and pulled him into a hug. Dean hugged his brother back, squeezing tightly.

"Bitch."

"Jerk," Sam murmured back. Dean held back a small chuckle. The two were interrupted by the man clearing his throat. They pulled away slowly, and Dean gave the dick the best bitch-face he could muster up. The man spoke up.

"Dean Winchester. We were starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up." He ended the sentence with his signature unnatural smile. Dean turned to the man, annoyance crossing his face.

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?" Beside him, he could feel Sam's gaze on him. So what if he was rude? Who the fuck were these people? 

The man's smile stayed on his face, but it seemed strained as if all of his energy was focused on not strangling Dean. The woman stepped forward.

"My name is Naomi. This is Zachariah." Naomi. Naomi, one of the angels who had joined Lucifer after his defeat of Michael. Naomi, who worked with Metatron to brainwash and steal angels' Grace.

Naomi, the game maker.

Sam seemed to notice the rage boiling up inside of Dean because he put a hand on his older brother's shoulder, almost as if to hold him back.

"Before you do anything, just hear them out." Dean scowled as he took a seat at the table. The other three followed suit. Naomi folded her hands and began to speak,

"As you know, the battle between Lucifer and Michael was over 600 years ago, and ended with Lucifer killing his brother." An unamused expression crossed the hunter's face. He had heard this speech a million times, at school and before the reaping. Naomi continued, "Raphael had his unsuccessful uprising and the games were created as a result. All of the angels who helped in the revolt were depowered and thrown into the districts, except for a few, who fled. I joined Lucifer out of fear. Zachariah hid with the other angels."

"Cowardly angels. Great, that's helpful," Dean quipped, ignoring the exasperated looks by his brother. After a slight look of annoyance, Zachariah picked up the story,

"We were contacted by a group who called themselves the ‘Men of Letters’." Dean's eyebrow raised at this. Back in District 12, the Men of Letters were sort of a fairy tale that parents would tell to their kids when the demons weren't around. Mary used to tell some of them to him. They were seekers of knowledge and protectors of the truth. They studied anything and everything supernatural and would go on adventures to save people from monsters. Later, in school, he learned that the Men of Letters was an actual organization who did fight against creatures. He was taught that when Lucifer initially rose, he sent Abaddon to exterminate every last member. Evidently, the knight had failed, if what Zachariah said was true. So far, the dude hadn't given Dean a single reason to trust him.

"We agreed to help them since we both shared a common interest: defeating the Devil. We've been here ever since." He said it as if those very vague pieces of information cleared up any and all questions that Dean could have. It did not.

"Okay. So you're hangin' out with the frickin' Men of Letters, completely safe from Satan. Now, help me understand something here. Why the hell would you pull us out of the games?" Naomi looked exasperated but began to talk anyway.

"Since the dawn of mankind, there had been a plan for the Apocalypse, for the fight between archangels. Each angel had a part to play in reaching it. And for millennia, everything went according to plan. That was, until 674 years ago.

"Vessels for Michael and Lucifer have to fit certain criteria. They must be brothers from the bloodline of Cain and Abel. Any other vessel will burn out. A close eye was kept on this bloodline in order to make sure that the correct people were brought together to create the vessels. The watch was only kept on the bloodline, so the activities of the people were of no concern. Heaven didn't notice when a member of the bloodline made a demon deal and didn't notice when he was sent to Hell. It didn't seem important. The first seal to free Lucifer wouldn't be broken yet. We were wrong. We had forgotten that the man had a younger brother. And when the man tortured in Hell, he broke the first seal.

"The alarms in Heaven were so loud. They weren't supposed to go off. Not for centuries. But they did. The Apocalypse had begun. We laid siege to Hell to save the man, now the vessel of Michael. He was saved and agreed. His brother did as well, hosting Lucifer. After Lucifer won and enslaved humankind, he sent the vessels' youngest brother to District 12."

"But what does that have to do with-"

"His name was Winchester." Dean turned to look at his baby brother, who interrupted him, then back towards the angels.

"Dean, you were supposed to be the vessel of Michael, and Sam Lucifer's. But Lilith freed Lucifer 667 years too early, which is why Michael lost. If things had gone according to plan, Lucifer would be dead and the world would be mostly intact." Zachariah said, leaning back in his seat. Sam didn't seem surprised by the information but looked down as if he were ashamed. Dean assumed that he had already gotten the whole spiel. He took a breath and asked yet another question.

"Why do you need us then? I mean, without Michael, I'm not that much use to you."

"But you do have the power necessary to contain an archangel. There are wisps of angelic Grace in your blood. Dean, even without Michael, you still are the Righteous Man. You can defeat the Devil." Silence spread throughout the room as Dean processed. Dean Winchester, an eighteen-year-old nobody from District 12, was the Righteous Man, the true vessel of Michael, and could destroy Lucifer. He almost couldn't breathe. But he swallowed down his newfound anxiety, pushed his doubt to the deepest, darkest corners of his mind, and looked up.

"Okay. The 'killing Satan' part I get, but I still don't get what-" he jabbed a finger in Naomi's direction, "-she's doing here if she joined Lucifer." Naomi's face remained stern, but she answered,

"When I recognized you as the Righteous Man, I contacted Zachariah and the other survivors. We have been conspiring to get you out since you were reaped. When the plan worked, I took what I needed and fled Hell."

"I have a question," Sam said. The fifteen-year-old had remained silent for most of the conversation, and his sudden participation almost surprised Dean. "How did you bypass the arena? It's covered in all kinds of wards and sigils for every creature in existence, especially angels. How did you get in?" It took all of Dean's self-control not to roll his eyes at his brother. They had just been rescued from certain death by angels with grace and were told that Dean would kill the Devil, but Sam was asking how they got past the angel warding. He loved his brother, but the kid was a giant nerd.

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Zachariah replied. "The Men of Letters have some crazy devices down here. Whatever it was, it worked." A word stuck out at Dean.

"Wait... down here?" he said, glancing around at the room. Sure enough, there were no windows, only rows, and rows of shelves littered with books. There was nothing pointing to the room being above ground.

"Yes. This was the Men of Letters' bunker in Lebanon, Kansas. Not even Lucifer knows about it, and while we are in it, he can't find us. Unfortunately, this is all that remains of Lebanon." Dean nodded a little in understanding. The only world he had ever known was controlled by demons and filled with turmoil. It was strange to hear about a time where there wasn't the constant threat of death.

The four were interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps coming from the other side of the room. Sam and Dean jumped up quickly, but the angels seemed unconcerned by the approaching noises. It was a kid, about twelve. He ran into the room but slowed down as soon as he saw Sam and Dean.

"Erm, Zachariah. There's something Mick wants you to see. You too, Naomi."

"What about us?" Dean asked indignantly. The kid looked down.

"I guess you guys can come too. It does affect you. But you won't like it."

"Thank you, Adam." Zachariah strode forward, Naomi right behind him. With a shrug from Sam, the two brothers followed as well.

The bunker was a lot bigger than Dean had originally thought. Zachariah led them through what seemed to be an endless amount of hallways before they even made it to the stairs. He wasn't surprised to find that there was only one way to go: down. After climbing down more stairs he had ever seen, they made it to a dark room, the only light coming from a couple of computer monitors. A group of about five people crowded around the screen, mesmerized by the events on it. Adam was one of them. A look of almost sympathy crossed his face when he saw the boys, but he quickly turned back to the computer. A collective gasp came from the people crowding the computer. Dean was one of the shortest in the room, second only to Adam. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that he couldn't see what was causing everyone to act like this. He looked up to his younger brother, who, although being taller than Dean, was craning his neck to get a glimpse of the screen. Sam's eyes widened, and Dean knew he had seen it. He kept his voice low.

"Sam, what is it?" Sam took a gulp, and without taking his eyes off of the screen answered,

"It's... Dean, it's District 12." Dean stood there for a minute, not quite understanding what Sam meant, then pushed through a few people until he could see the screen. Or, more accurately, screens. There were twelve in total, each with a small caption in the bottom right corner. A screen per district. They each showed what Dean assumed to be the square of each district. He could see citizens walking around, minding their own business. Naomi, Zachariah, and Adam were situated near the end of the row, in between the 11 and 12 monitors with the other people. There was a man working at the District 12 screen, which was filled with static. The District 11 screen was the same way.

"I don't see why a computer malfunction requires us down here, Mick," Zachariah said. The man, Mick, turned around, his face grim.

"It's not a malfunction," Mick said. His accent was strange to Dean, who had only been outside of District 12 for the games. "Something destroyed the cameras." Naomi furrowed her eyebrows.

"Demons?"

"That's what we thought, so we looked at the earlier video and..." Mick sat down once again and rewound the footage on the District 12 monitor. The static turned into what Dean recognized as the town square, which was strangely empty. The timestamp read 12:32, which was usually a busy time for the square. The camera showed nothing, no movement. Dean glanced up to Sam, who looked terrified of what was to come. He almost missed the loud boom that came from the screen. Off in the distance, he could see fire covering what he recognized as where their house was. Above the fire, there were small, rocket looking things flying towards the square. Within a few seconds, it landed in the center of the square. The last thing shown on the camera was a fireball consuming the District. The screen turned into static. No one moved, no one made a noise. They just watched the static in silence.

"I'm assuming if we check the District 11 footage, it'll be the same." Sam looked at his brother.

"Dad," he whispered. Dean turned away from Sam. John was dead. Everything they had ever known was gone, destroyed in a fiery blaze, just like Mary. Naomi spoke,

"The angels will search for survivors." There was a whoosh, and Zachariah and Naomi disappeared. 

"Why... why would Lucifer do this?" Dean could see the tears forming in Sam's eyes as he spoke, but the fifteen-year-old shrugged them off.

"Revenge," Adam said as if it were obvious.

"What Adam means is that it's a warning. Lucifer doesn't know who rescued you three from the arena. By destroying your districts, he's showing that he's more powerful," Mick clarified. Something Mick said nagged at the back of Dean's mind.

"The three of us? There were four in the arena," he said. He and Sam were in the monitor room, Gabriel was in the other room healing. Where was Cas?

At the question, the people in the room looked uncomfortable. Even Adam, who seemed to show a general dislike of the boys, looked down, suddenly having a great interest in the floor. Dean glanced over at Sam, who had an expression of pain on his face.

"Dean..."

"Where is Cas?" Cas had to be there. He couldn't be gone. The angels rescued Sam, Gabriel, and him, so they must have gotten Cas too. Mick stepped forward.

"When the game makers realized that the warding failed and that they lost control of the arena, they sent demons to retrieve the four of you. Zachariah and Naomi were able to grab Sam and Gabriel, but when they returned, you were about to be killed by a demon. Your friend was gone. We... we think Lucifer's demons got him." The room was silent. Dean could feel the guilt radiating off of Mick, Adam, and even Sammy, but he didn't focus on it. His mind was filled with Mick's words, echoing endlessly. He didn't notice the people in the room file out one by one, didn't notice the pitying look Adam shot him as the boy left the room. He didn't even notice Sam staying behind, or the sorrowful look he gave before he left.

"I'm sorry, Dean," he whispered softly. The door shut quietly behind him.

Dean was alone.


End file.
